The Deal family and the expanded autumn staff at Deal’s Orchard aren’t the only ones preparing for Deal’s annual Fall Festival this weekend.
With an estimated 10,000 visitors traveling on K Ave to and from the orchard, the county secondary roads department used it as a test of a new technique in controlling dust on high traffic gravel roads. The result is a dust-free, hard packed surface that feels to drivers almost like a paved road.
County engineer Wade Weiss explained the process to the county supervisors Monday morning. The crew used picks on the front of a maintainer to break up the top 2-1/2 inches of the road surface. The loose material was treated with a combination of calcium chloride (the usual dust control product) and water, and then replaced in layers. The last step was running a roller over the treated road.
The work was done on 400 feet south of the “T” intersection of County Road E-53 and K Ave.
Weiss said similarly treated gravel roads can get slippery in the winter. He plans to apply gravel on the road before winter sets in.
If the treatment works as well as expected, County Road P-26 near Winkleman Switch in Grant Township will also be treated.
